Software applications and systems have become indispensable tools for helping consumers, i.e., users, perform a wide variety of tasks in their daily professional and personal lives. Currently, numerous types of desktop, web-based, and cloud-based software systems are available to help users perform a plethora of tasks ranging from basic computing system operations and word processing, to financial management, small business management, tax preparation, health tracking and healthcare management, as well as other personal and business endeavors, operations, and functions far too numerous to individually delineate here.
One major, if not determinative, factor in the utility, and ultimate commercial success, of a given software system of any type is the ability to implement and provide a customer support system through which a given user can obtain assistance and, in particular, get answers to questions that arise during the installation and operation of the software system. However, providing potentially millions of software system users with specialized advice and answers to their specific questions is a huge undertaking that can easily, and rapidly, become economically infeasible.
To address this problem, many providers of software systems implement or sponsor one or more question and answer based customer support systems. Typically, a question and answer based customer support system includes a hosted forum through which a user can direct their specific questions, typically in a text format, to a support community that often includes other users and/or professional support personal.
In many cases, once a user's specific question is answered by one or more members of the support community through the question and answer based customer support system, the user's specific question, and the answer to the specific question provided by the support community, is categorized and added to a customer support question and answer database associated with the question and answer based customer support system. In this way, subsequent users of the software system can access the user's specific question or topic, and find the answer to the user's question, via a search of the customer support question and answer database. As a result, a dynamic customer support question and answer database of categorized/indexed user questions and answers is made available to users of the software system through the question and answer based customer support system.
The development of customer support question and answer databases has numerous advantages including a self-help element whereby a searching user, i.e., a user accessing the resulting question and answer pair, can find an answer to their particular question by simply searching the customer support question and answer database for topics, questions, and answers related to their issue. In addition, if the answer to the user's specific question is not in the customer support question and answer database, the user can then become an asking user by submitting their question to the question and answer based customer support system, typically through the same website and/or user interface. Consequently, by using a question and answer based customer support system that includes a customer support question and answer database, potentially millions of user questions can be answered in an efficient and effective manner, and with little duplicative effort.
Some searching users are directed to the question and answer customer support system through Internet searches. Although the searching users may not be paying users of one or more services associated with the question and answer customer support system, the searching users who are directed to and who receive answers from the question and answer customer support system are exposed and/or introduced to a service provided by a service provider. A good experience with the service can result in additional interest in the service or in other services provided by the service provider. Thus, the question and answer customer support system provides a marketing advantage the service provider of the question and answer customer support system that is associated with one or more services.
Internet browsers and/or search engines regularly increase the likelihood of search hits for more popular Internet content and decrease the likelihood of search hits for less popular Internet content. The more frequently an Internet browser or search engine can provide its users with search results that they are likely to select, be satisfied with, and/or use, the more likely the Internet browser and/or search engine is to receive continued use, receive referrals from the user, and consequently receive additional revenue from advertisements. As a result, it can be in the Internet browser or search engine's best interest to match a user's search criteria with content that is viewed by many, that includes quality content, and that is likely to satisfy the searching user. In other words, the Internet browser and/or search engine has an interest in matching a user's search criteria with popular content.
If the question and answer customer support system fails to provide Internet search engines with popular and/or quality content, the question and answer customer support system can, over time, reduce its search engine visibility so that less traffic is directed from Internet searches to the question and answer customer support system.
What is needed is a method and system for increasing Internet traffic to a question and answer customer support system, to (for example) provide additional low-cost marketing to a service provider of the question and answer customer support system and to provide additional low-cost or free marketing to other services provided by the service provider who hosts the question and answer customer support system.